Machine for making envelopes



"3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

T BER GNER. ENVELOP, FOLDING MACHINE.

No. 16.576. Patented Feb. 10,1857.

' 3 Sheets-,Sheet 8. I

TQBER'GNER. ENVELOP FOLDING MACHINE.

No. 16,576 Patented Feb. 10 1 857.

Niiree inesrrrcne ATENT MaCHiNE FOR MAKING ENVELOPES.

' Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,576., dated February 10,1857.

T0 all wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tnnononn BERGNER, of the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Envelope-Folding Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and inwhich the same letters of reference allude to similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved envelope-machine, with part of it shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on the line 1 2, Fig. 1. Fig. l shows the'blank of an envelope while undergoing the process of stamping and pasting. Fig. 5 is a detached sectional view of the folding apparatus. Fig. 6 is a detached sectional view of the folder on an enlarged scale.- Y

A and A are the two frames or standards of the-machine, supporting the table 13, on which is again secured the frame 0. This frame has projections ct a and Z; I) on its front-,.

forming V-shaped guides for the sliding rod D. The link E, which at one end connects to rod D by means of a stud c, is at its other end attached to the lever F, which has its fulcrum on the pin (2, (bolted to a projection of frame 0,) and which gives a downward motion to the sliding rod 1) by means of rod G, this red being at its lower end acted upon by cam lI.

on the main shaft I.

' e is the guide for red G, which at its lower end is provided with the roller f to facilitate the action ofcam H. v

The main shaft I revolves in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 1, and by means of the spurwheel K receives its motion from pinion L on the driving-shaft M. g g are the bearings of this shaft, and h h those for the shaft I.

The fly-wheel N is provided with a crankhandle i for working themrachine by hand,

while by means of pulley O the machine may receive its power through a belt.

The table I is provided with an oblong aperture, suflieicntly large to allow the passing through of the largest size of envelopes,

and omits top has two adjustable plates 1 and 1', (best seen in Fig. 4,) which may be set apart or closed to suit any-sized envelopes,

while for each size are provided smaller plates at and m of the required width and length,

so that these four plates, when properly adjustcd, leave an aperture of the size of the envelope when folded.

The paper blanks are fed to the machine by the operator from a pile on the front of the table, their proper position being denoted by the small -adjustable guides 10 70, (on the plate l',) fitting into the 0011'1018 formed by .the two end flaps and one of theside flaps of the blank.

To the lower end of the sliding rod i) is attached the T- shaped piece '71, to which is again bolted a thin plate 0, which corresponds in shape with the oblong aperture formed by v the plates Z Z and m m, being, however, sullicicntly smaller to pass through freely, while carrying with it the blank, with which it descends to the folding apparatus 1. To regulate the termination of the downward movements of plate 0 to a nicoty, the bolt-holes for securing the T-shaped piece it to rodD are made oblong, thus allowing the required adjustment. \Vhen the cam II during its revolving motion has raised the rod G suiticiently for the-purpose, it leaves the roller f, whereupon the counter-balance will weigh down again its end of lever F'and bring it back into the position shown in the drawings.

The horizontal frame Q, which. at its ends is bolted to the standards A and A, is provided with lugs g (1,011 which rests and is bolted the folder P. This folder is provided with two small compartments 2' '2', Fig. 5, into which are led from the bottom the two branches of pipe 8, the other end of which communicates with the cylinder R through the head i. Into this cylinder, which is sooured to the back of frame Q, is fitted an-airtight piston 29. A flatrcd a, which at one end is screwed intothis piston and at its other end works'in the guide 11, is provided with a small roller 1*, Fig. 5, working on a stud 1.0, Fig. 3, on a downward projection of the red. by means of cam S actuating the roller 1) a sliding motion in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, is imparted to the pistont The relative position 'of cam S on the shaft I to cam H is such that just before the arrival of the blank on the folder the piston i will come into action. It will be easily seen that the increase of space produced in the cylinder by the outward movement of the piston will create a partial vacuum .in the cylinder, and consequently in the pipe and'compartments of the folder, all communication with the-atmosphere being shut off. The small holes a: 00, which lead from the top of the folder into the compartments 1' a, would be the only meansfor supplying'air, but they beingcovered by the envelope While undergoihg the process of folding cause the latter to act onthe principle of valves and to be held down by the atmospheric pressure whilethe-process of folding, hereinafter fully described, is going on. This being done and the cam S having released the roller '0', the piston. t will partly, by the pressure ofthe atmosphere on its exposed-surface and by means of the spiral spring y, Fig. 3, regain its formerposition.

Thetwo straps z .2, which are bolted to the under side-of table 13 and can be set closer or farther apart to suit different sizes of en'- velopes, serve to keep the end flaps turned up while the blank is deseendifigthere'by causing a sufficient dragging on those flaps to prevcnt the blank from falling faster than the sliding rod 1) takes it.

The upright T, being bolted at the top to the horizontal frame Q, and secured at its lower end to another horizontal piece U, is provided with a dovetail slide a, Fig. 52, on which works, by means of .corresponding grooves at b and U the sliding frame V. The round. rods 0' cfiwhieh, similar to the upright T, are secured to frame Q and cross-piece U,

serve as additional guides to the outer endsp of sliding frame V, these ends being rounded and providcd with holes of the required diameter to receive rods 0 0 To the rod 0 is secured the stud 12, forming 'ihe fulcrum for lever \V, which atone end is by means of link X connected to sliding frame V. The rod Z, which is jointed to the other arm of the lever and works in its guide 6', is depressed by the cam A on the shaft I, thus causing, the sliding frame V to rise, as shown at Fig. 2. .l-Vhen the cam has passed the rod Z, frame 'Vwill' by its own weight descend to the position shown at Fig. 1,which-m'o rion is cased by the counter-balance B f f f"f are round pillars, resting with shoulders .on the sliding frame V, to which they are secured by nuts; These pillars carry the lifters g g g (F, which, on the ascent of sliding frame V, are brought in contact with pins'or projections 71 h hh of the folding hinges i 'i i 71 The radial movement of the hinges and their projections is such that when the lifter has elevated the latter sufficiently to bring the flats *i -ito bear on the surface of the folder 1, as shown at Fig. (i, it is allowed to pass by and to ascend freely to the termination of its upward movement, while the hinges i 11 by the overhanging weight of projections 71. 71 are caused to fall back into their former position. The lifters g are secured to the pillars by set-screws, which allows them to be adjusted to give the one folder a sufficient precedence to the other to bring the flaps down in their proper order, and they are constructedwith their tongues working on pins in such a manner that, coming in contact with the projections h 7L2 during the descent of sliding frame V, these tongues will by an upward radial movement clear those projections, whereupon their own weight will throw them back into their previous position.

\ At the back of the machine, on a level with shaft I, runs a shaft 0 in its bearings D D which receives motion from a pair of miterwheels .1 LE and revolves in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 2. It is provided with camarm F, which actnates arm G. This, with the curved-arm ll, radiates in a bearing on the bracket I, secured to the back of horizontal frame Q. The main portion of the curved arm 11 forms a segment of a circle struck from the cent-er of vibration and works in a slot 7;, Fig. 3,through the folder I. The function 'of this lever is toremove the finished envelopes from the folder.- This it performs by raising the n suddenly on the depression of arm G, which causes it to radiate in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 2, and to 'landthe envelopes on the inclined table K Fig. 2, from where they will slide either on-a table or some other suitable place for count ing and packing them. To give room for the above discharging apparatus, thepillar f is not, like the others, on a line with the center of its respective folding hinge, but placed on one side, as shown at Fig. 3, the projections 71, on folding hinge i beingprovided with a long pin, which extends toward pillar f "and on the end of which acts the lifter g The pillars f f being secured to sliding frame V through slots, can therefore be moved and adj usted to suit any required sized folder, which folders, as will be easily seen, may vary from the smallest to the largest desirable size by only adhering to the same distances for the.

holes through which the holding-down bolts pass, and keeping the same dimensions for the openings, through which the ends of pipe 8 are introduced, these ends fitting with a slight taper and requiring no further ad just- .ment.

' Before the blank is removed from the table B to tho folderl the paste is applied to it by two smalloblong vessels 1 l quite narrow at the bottmn, where, in case of stiff ilou r paste being used, they maybe quite open, while when 'gum-arabic is made use of they may have a strip of sponge inserted, which must be so pressed in to be always suflicien tly damp for the purpose, withoutallowing more to How oit' than required. These vessels are e cured to an adjustable arm L on the lever cam A, thereby operating, by means of lifters g g g the folding hinges 1" i i '6 in the manner described.

8. The compartments 1 0, in combination with pipe 3 and cylinder R, the latter being provided with piston t which is operated by cam S on shaft I, the whole being eonst-rueted substantially in. the manner set forth.

4.,1110 stamp 1, working in the swivelbearing 0 and operated by cam Q, pin 1" rod 8, and cam '1", in the manner and for the purpose specified.

The employment of cam 4, lever 1, rod Z, arm y, and spiral spring 5, to turn swivelbearing 0 on its axis, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

6.- Operating the pasting-vessels Z Z 'by the lever M rocl n, and cam N. :nbstantiallyae described.

I 7. Applying the curved arm 31', working in a'slot 7a through the folder I, for removing; the finished envelopes to the inclined table K and operating it by arm G and cam-awn THEODORE BEIWNER. \Vit-nesses;

GEORGE WRIGHT, RODNEY Domav. 

